Kids should spend more time playing
Brent Castillo
The Wichita Eagle
May 15, 2008
Child's play may be going the way of cheap gasoline.
Children 6 and under spend about two hours a day with
screen media, about three times as much as they spend
reading or being read to, according to the Campaign for
a Commercial-Free Childhood. Heavy television watchers
spend less time playing than other children. Other
research gathered by the organization says that children
ages 9 to 12 spend only one minute a day in creative
play.
"Play thrives in environments that provide children with
safe boundaries but do not impinge on ability to think
or act spontaneously. It is nurtured with opportunities
for silence," said Susan Linn, co-founder of the
organization. "For children who are flooded continually
with stimuli and commands to react, the cost is high.
They have fewer opportunities to initiate action or to
influence the world they inhabit, and less chance to
exercise the essential human trait of creativity."
Linn has written a new book that stresses the importance
of children playing creatively. It's called "The Case
for Make Believe: Saving Play in a Commercialized
World."
Her book is another reminder for parents not to use our
TVs or video games as baby sitters. The negative effects
come from being sedentary and from the overwhelming
amount of marketing directed at children.
According to Linn, marketing directly to children
contributes to the childhood obesity epidemic,
encourages eating disorders and precocious sexuality,
and elevates youth violence and family stress.
Companies are spending at least $15 billion annually
marketing to children, Linn said, dramatically up from
the $100 million spent in 1983. From a business
standpoint, it makes sense. According to
MarketResearch.com, children influence purchases
totaling more than $600 billion a year. And the
companies have easy access to our young.
In a typical day, 68 percent of all children under 2 use
screen media for at least two hours a day, and
one-quarter of them have a TV in their room. This trend
runs contrary to the advice of the American Academy of
Pediatrics that "urges parents to avoid television for
children under 2 years old."
But what about educational shows, you ask? Beware of the
marketing. More than a quarter of infants have a
so-called educational "Baby Einstein" video. But,
according to Linn's group, there is no evidence that
these -- or any other video for babies -- have any
educational value. In fact, the group filed a complaint
against the videomakers with the Federal Trade
Commission and forced the company to modify its
marketing and tone down its claims of benefits.
Parents seem to be getting somewhat wise to the game. In
2007, a Wall Street Journal poll indicated that 64
percent believe that popular characters from television
and movies should not be used to sell products to
children, and about half believe that marketing should
be prohibited to children under 12.
But it's not enough to want businesses to shape up and
act responsibly. Parents first have to take the
initiative, and that starts at home.
Turn off the TV, hide the PlayStation, and send your
kids outside to play. If we're serious, we'll go out and
join them and make creative play more than 60 seconds of
our child's day.